With this rig

Of all the ways people have proposed marriage, computer nut Mike Johnson dreamed up one of the most unusual -- and geekiest.

Instead of proposing on bended knee, Johnson presented his would-be bride with a special "wedding computer."

The case took three weeks to build, at a cost of about $250 in frilly materials. To keep it secret, Johnson built it in his parents' garage. His mother thought it was a little crazy, Johnson said.

"It was all my own original design," Johnson added. "I didn't use any special reference materials, especially not (stuff by) Martha (Stewart), now that she's going to jail."

Johnson painted the case virginal white and decorated it with lace and pearls. He used a rhinestone for the power button. The engagement ring -- a hunk of ice that cost him years of savings -- was hidden beneath a mock wedding cake mounted on the top of the machine.

On the night of the proposal, Johnson set up the computer in the couple's darkened apartment. When Tolliver got home from work, she stood speechless before the glowing computer, Johnson said.

"She was fixated on the PC," Johnson said. "She was saying, 'Wow, I've never seen anything like it.' Her eyes were glued to it. She saw the inscription and said, 'Yeah.' Her other words weren't audible. It was kinda gibberish. She was muttering."

"I thought it was a funny way to ask me, but it represents him," she added. "There's nothing like it in the world. No one has ever heard of a wedding computer. It's quite a conversation piece. Plus, it's a pretty good computer. That just makes it even better."